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Abstract:

A thermal interposer for a heat-generating electronic component includes a
thermally conducting body that is configured to be thermally coupled to
the electronic component. The thermally conducting body may include a
first region that is located on a first face of the thermally conducting
body. The first region may be adapted to be in thermal contact with a
surface of the electronic component. The thermally conducting body may
also include a second region located on a second face that is opposite
the first face of the thermally conducting body. The thermal interposer
may also include a cold plate assembly that is removably coupled to the
thermally conducting body. The cold plate assembly may be in thermal
contact with the second region of the thermally conducting body. The cold
plate assembly may include an inlet adapted to receive a cooling liquid
into the cold plate assembly and an outlet adapted to discharge the
cooling liquid from the cold plate assembly.

Claims:

1. A thermal interposer for a heat-generating electronic component,
comprising:a thermally conducting body configured to be thermally coupled
to the electronic component, the thermally conducting body including,a
first region located on a first face of the thermally conducting body,
the first region being adapted to be in thermal contact with a surface of
the electronic component,a second region located on a second face of the
thermally conducting body, the second face being opposite the first face;
anda cold plate assembly removably coupled to the thermally conducting
body and in thermal contact with the second region of the thermally
conducting body, the cold plate assembly including,an inlet adapted to
receive a cooling liquid into the cold plate assembly, andan outlet
adapted to discharge the cooling liquid from the cold plate assembly.

2. The thermal interposer of claim 1, wherein the cold plate assembly is
slidably coupled to the thermally conducting body.

3. The thermal interposer of claim 1, wherein the second region includes a
recessed region in the thermally conducting body.

4. The thermal interposer of claim 1, further including a third region
spaced apart from the first region, the third region being adapted to be
in thermal contact with a surface of a second heat-generating electronic
component.

5. The thermal interposer of claim 4, wherein the first region is located
on the first face of the thermally conducting body.

6. The thermal interposer of claim 1, further including at least one heat
pipe extending from a location proximate the first region to a location
proximate the second region.

7. The thermal interposer component of claim 6, wherein the at least one
heat pipe includes a plurality of heat pipes arranged substantially
parallel to each other.

8. The thermal interposer of claim 1, wherein the thermally conducting
body further includes,a first planar component which includes the first
face and the second face opposite the first face, anda second planar
component having a third face and a fourth face opposite the third face,
wherein the second planar component is stacked on the first planar
component such that the second face of the first planar component faces
the third face of the second planar component.

9. The thermal interposer of claim 8, wherein the second region includes a
recessed region on at least one of the second face of the first planar
component or the third face of the second planar component, and wherein
the recessed region slidably receives the cold plate assembly.

10. The thermal interposer of claim 10, wherein the thermal interposer
further includes a third region on the fourth face of the second planar
component, the third region being adapted to be in thermal contact with a
surface of a second heat-generating electronic component.

11. The thermal interposer of claim 8, further including a heat pipe
extending between a location proximate the first region and a location
proximate the second region and positioned within a cavity located on one
or both of the second face or the third face.

12. The thermal interposer of claim 1, wherein the heat-generating
electronic component is located on an adapter card that is plugged into a
mother board of a computer.

13. The thermal interposer of claim 12, wherein a size of the thermal
interposer is substantially the same as a size of the adapter card.

14. A liquid cooling system of a computer, comprising:a heat exchanger
adapted for cooling a cooling liquid;one or more tubes configured to
direct the cooling liquid between the heat exchanger and a thermal
interposer assembly; andthe thermal interposer assembly coupled to a
first adapter card of the computer, the thermal interposer assembly
including,a first thermally conducting body in thermal contact with a
first heat dissipating electronic component on the first adapter card;
anda cold plate assembly removably coupled with the thermally conducting
body, the cold plate assembly being configured to circulate the cooling
liquid therethrough.

15. The liquid cooling system of claim 14, wherein the heat exchanger is
positioned remotely from the thermal interposer assembly.

16. The liquid cooling system of claim 14, wherein the thermal interposer
assembly includes a heat pipe that is configured to transfer heat from
the electronic component to the cold plate assembly.

17. The liquid cooling system of claim 14, wherein one face of the first
thermally conducting body thermally contacts the first heat dissipating
electronic component and an opposite face of the first thermally
conducting body contacts the cold plate assembly.

18. The liquid cooling system of claim 14, wherein the thermal interposer
assembly further includes a second thermally conducting body in thermal
contact with a heat dissipating electronic component of a second adapter
card and the cold plate assembly, the second thermally conducting body
being positioned on one side of the cold plate assembly and the first
thermally conducting body being positioned on an opposite side of the
cold plate assembly.

19. The liquid cooling system of claim 14, wherein the cold plate assembly
is slidably positioned in a recess formed in the thermal interposer
assembly.

20. The liquid cooling system of claim 14, wherein the first thermally
conducting body is in thermal contact with a second heat dissipating
electronic component on the first adapter card.

21. A thermal interposer for a heat-generating electronic component
located on an adapter card of a computer, the adapter card being plugged
into a mother board of the computer, comprising:a thermally conducting
assembly coupled to the adapter card such that a first region of the
thermally conducting assembly is in thermal contact with a surface of the
electronic component, the thermally conducting assembly having a length
and a width substantially the same as a length and a width of the adapter
card; anda cold plate assembly removably coupled to the thermally
conducting assembly, the cold plate assembly being configured to
circulate a liquid coolant therethrough.

22. The thermal interposer of claim 21, wherein the thermally conducting
assembly includes a first thermally conducting body in contact with a
first side of the cold plate assembly and a second thermally conducting
body in contact with a second side of the thermally conducting body, the
first side being opposite the second side.

23. The thermal interposer of claim 22, wherein the first region is
located on the first thermally conducting body and the second thermally
conducting body includes a second region in thermal contact with a second
heat-generating electronic component located on a second adapter card
that is plugged into the mother board.

24. The thermal interposer of claim 21, wherein the cold plate assembly is
slidably engaged in a recess located in the thermally conducting
assembly.

25. The thermal interposer of claim 21, wherein the thermally conducting
assembly includes a heat pipe.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001]This application is a Continuation-in-Part application of PCT
International Application No. PCT/US09/044,813 filed on May 21, 2009,
which claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
61/054,992 filed on May 21, 2008, both of which are incorporated herein
by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002]The present invention is related generally to a system for cooling
electronic components, and heat sources associated with electronic
components.

BACKGROUND

[0003]Computer systems, such as, for example, personal computers, which
are designed for desktop or under-desk use are typically characterized by
a main-board or motherboard housed in a chassis or case. Auxiliary
components additionally contained within the chassis or case may include,
among others, network adapter circuit boards, modems, specialized
adapters, and graphics display adapters. These auxiliary components may
receive power through connection to the motherboard or through additional
connections directly to a system power supply contained within the
chassis or case. Additional components which generate heat, such as hard
drives, disk drives, media readers, etc. may further be contained within
the chassis or case, and coupled to the system power supply and/or
motherboard as needed.

[0004]During operation, the motherboard and various auxiliary components
consume power and generate heat. To ensure proper functionality of the
computer system, it is necessary to regulate the operating temperatures
inside the chassis or case. Individual integrated circuits, such as, for
example, central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units
(GPUs), memory modules, etc. may generate significant amounts of heat
during operation. This heat may result in undesirably high temperature at
the components or localized hot spots within the chassis. In this
disclosure, the term "processors", are used as understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art, to describe a wide range of components. These
components may include dedicated graphics processing units,
microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, and general
system processors. In an air-cooled system, the generated heat is
absorbed by the ambient air within the chassis, which is then circulated
or exchanged by various cooling fans. Failure to maintain adequate
temperature control within the chassis, and at individual integrated
circuits, can degrade system performance and may eventually lead to
component failure.

[0005]Traditionally, a cooling fan is used to circulate air within the
chassis and to exchange the high temperature internal air with cooler
external air. However, as personal computer systems include increasing
numbers of individual components, such as, for example, integrated
circuits and graphics display adapters, a supply cooling fan may be
inadequate to maintain the necessary operating temperatures within the
chassis environment.

[0006]Specialized liquid cooling systems are available for some components
in a personal computer system. Specialized liquid cooling systems
typically require a coolant circulation pathway, which routes a thermal
transfer liquid between a heat exchanger such as a radiator and a heat
source, such as a CPU, GPU, or other electronic component. Specialized
liquid cooling systems are well adapted to maintain the operating
temperatures of individual components within acceptable limits. However,
these specialized liquid cooling systems are not adapted for use with a
wide variety of components or adapter boards in a personal computer
system. Furthermore, once such liquid cooling systems are installed,
often it is difficult to replace, insert, or remove components requiring
cooling from the system. To replace or add components, the liquid cooling
system must either be drained or breached to facilitate the replacement,
insertion, or removal.

[0007]Some specialized liquid cooling systems adapted for use with plug-in
adapter cards such as graphic cards utilize a cold plate component
through which a cooling liquid circulates for cooling the main processor
on the adapter card, and thermal radiators for air cooling the other
circuit components on the adapter card. These systems often add
significant space requirements to the adapter card, necessitating the use
of two adapter "slots" or bays. Additionally, by continuing to utilize
thermal radiators for air cooling, these systems contribute heat to the
internal environment within the computer chassis, increasing the strain
on other cooling components.

[0008]Personal computers are not the only electronic devices which
generate heat during use. Many electronic devices contained within a
chassis or a case generates heat during use which must be dissipated. For
example, multiple circuit boards, DC/DC converters, hard drives, optical
components, rack-mounted servers, blade servers, networking switches and
routers, network storage devices, military and medical electronic
equipment, game consoles, as well as instrumentation and testing
electronics all generate heat during use which must be dissipated to
avoid damage to the system. The cooling systems of the current disclosure
are applicable to these applications.

[0009]It would be advantageous to provide a component for use with a
liquid cooling system which may be easily adapted to provide a liquid
cooling mechanism for a wide range of heat-generating integrated circuit
components, such as a personal computer adapter card, to cool both the
adapter card processors as well as associated integrated circuits. It
would be further advantageous to provide a component for a liquid cooling
system which may be easily detached from an associated heat source
without draining of any liquid coolant or breaching, of the coolant flow
pathways, to enable replacement, addition, or removal of electronic
components such as processors, and which does not significantly increase
the space requirements of the adapter card.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010]In one aspect, a thermal interposer for a heat-generating electronic
component is disclosed. The thermal interposer may include a thermally
conducting body that is configured to be thermally coupled to the
electronic component. The thermally conducting body may include a first
region that is located on a first face of the thermally conducting body.
The first region may be adapted to be in thermal contact with a surface
of the electronic component. The thermally conducting body may also
include a second region located on a second face that is opposite the
first face of the thermally conducting body. The thermal interposer may
also include a cold plate assembly that is removably coupled to the
thermally conducting body. The cold plate assembly may be in thermal
contact with the second region of the thermally conducting body. The cold
plate assembly may include an inlet adapted to receive a cooling liquid
into the cold plate assembly and an outlet adapted to discharge the
cooling liquid from the cold plate assembly.

[0011]In another aspect, a liquid cooling system of a computer is
disclosed. The cooling system may include a heat exchanger adapted for
cooling a cooling liquid, and one or more tubes configured to direct the
cooling liquid between the heat exchanger and a thermal interposer
assembly. The thermal interposer assembly may be coupled to a first
adapter card of the computer and may include a first thermally conducting
body in thermal contact with a first heat dissipating electronic
component on the first adapter card, and a cold plate assembly removably
coupled to the thermally conducting body. The cold plate assembly may be
configured to circulate the cooling liquid therethrough.

[0012]In yet another aspect, a thermal interposer for a heat-generating
electronic component located on an adapter card of a computer is
disclosed. The adapter card may be plugged into a mother board of the
computer. The thermal interposer may include a thermally conducting
assembly having a length and a width substantially the same as the
adapter card removably coupled to the adapter card such that a first
region of the thermally conducting assembly is in thermal contact with a
surface of the electronic component. The thermal interposer may also
include a cold plate assembly removably coupled to the thermally
conducting assembly. The cold plate assembly may be configured to
circulate a liquid coolant therethrough.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a cold plate assembly
of the present disclosure;

[0014]FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate the different parts of an embodiment of a
thermal interposer assembly of the present disclosure;

[0015]FIG. 3 is an exploded view of an adapter card assembly incorporating
the embodiment of thermal interposer of FIGS. 2A-2C and the embodiment of
cold plate assembly of FIG. 1;

[0016]FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an adapter card assembly incorporating
an alternate embodiment of a thermal interposer and a cold plate assembly
of the present disclosure; and

[0017]FIG. 5 in an illustration of an exemplary cooling system of a
computer using an embodiment of the thermal interposer and cold plate
assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018]The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way
of example and not by way of limitation. The description enables one
skilled in the art to make and use the present disclosure, and describes
several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives, and uses of
the present disclosure, including what is presently believed to be the
best mode of carrying out the present disclosure.

[0019]Personal computers, network servers, and many other variations of
computing devices employ electronic sub-components such as circuit
boards, adapter cards, daughter cards, DC/DC converters, hard drives, and
optical drives mounted in an enclosed case or chassis. These various
electronic sub-components, including a common power supply, generate heat
during operation which must be dissipated from the chassis or case to
avoid heat-induced damage or overheating of the various components.
Common methods for extracting heat from the internal volume of a computer
case or chassis include providing cooling fans for circulating airflow,
and the use of liquid cooling systems to circulate a liquid coolant
between the various sources of heat and a liquid-to-air radiator for
discharge outside of the chassis. Typically, to utilize a circulating
liquid coolant within a computing device case or chassis, individual
components much be customized or configured with coolant flow pathways
for connecting to the liquid coolant circulation system. Installation,
removal, or replacement of components is difficult due to the need to
breach the liquid coolant circulation system when altering the component
configurations, resulting in the loss of liquid coolant and/or the
introduction of air into the liquid coolant circulation system, which can
reduce the thermal efficiency of the system.

[0020]Turning to FIG. 1, a modular cold plate assembly of the present
disclosure is shown generally at 100. The modular cold plate assembly 100
provides a standardized heat transfer component for a liquid cooling
system such as may be used within a chassis or case of a computer system.
As seen at FIG. 1, the modular cold plate assembly 100 consists of a cold
plate body 102, configured for placement in thermal contact to a heat
source (not shown), a fluid circulation body 104, configured to direct a
liquid coolant into the cold plate assembly 100, and a cover plate 106
configured to enclose the cold plate body 102 within the fluid
circulation body 104. The cold plate body may include grooves or micro
channels 108 to pass the liquid coolant therethrough. In place of, or in
addition to, the micro channels 108, some embodiments of cold plate
assembly 100 may include other features (such as, for example, micro
pins) to improve heat transfer to the liquid coolant. These features may
improve the heat transfer from the cold plate body 102 to the circulating
coolant by increasing the surface area available for heat transfer and/or
by disrupting the boundary layer at the solid to liquid interface. In
some embodiments, these grooves or micro channels 108 on cold plate body
102 may be eliminated. The external dimensions of the modular cold plate
assembly 100 may be standardized to facilitate reuse and interchange of
the modular cold plate assembly 100 with different thermal interposer
components as required from time to time.

[0021]The cold plate body 102 may be made from materials (such as, for
example, copper, aluminum, etc.) which have a high thermal conductivity
to facilitate a transfer of heat. Exemplary cold plate assemblies are
shown and described in co-pending International Application No.
PCT/US08/56167 and in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/053,202, each of which are incorporated herein by reference. The cold
plate body 102 is adapted for placement in thermal contact with the
surface of a heat source of a computer system (not shown). In some
embodiments, a high conductivity material (such as, for example, thermal
grease, thermal paste, etc.) may be sandwiched between the heat source
and the cold plate body 102 for good thermal contact between the two
surfaces. Heat is transferred from the heat source through the cold plate
body 102 to the liquid coolant circulating within cold plate assembly
100. Liquid coolant enters the fluid circulation body 104 through a
coolant inlet port 104IN, circulates within cold plate assembly 100,
and exits the fluid circulation body 104 via a coolant outlet port
104OUT. Within the cold plate assembly 100, the coolant may absorb
heat from the metal parts of the cold plate assembly 100, such as the
cold plate body 102. The inlet and outlet ports 104IN and
104OUT are connected, via suitable couplings and tubing, to a liquid
cooling circulation system associated with the computer. Those of
ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the general function of a
liquid cooling system is well known in the art, and therefore, the
functioning of these components will not be described in detail.

[0022]It should be emphasized that the illustration of FIG. 1 and its
corresponding description herein is illustrative only, and embodiments of
the current invention may include several variations from the exemplary
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, in some embodiments, the
fluid circulation body 104 may be integrated with the cold plate body
102. In these embodiments, the liquid coolant entering the body through
the inlet port 104IN may circulate through pathways through the
integrated fluid circulation body and cold plate body.

[0023]In general, the cold plate body may have any dimensions. Typically,
the external dimensions of the modular cold plate assembly 100 may be
configured to fit within a corresponding receiving space or socket within
a thermal interposer assembly 200 of the present disclosure. Referring to
FIGS. 2A-2C, an embodiment of a thermal interposer assembly 200 adapted
for use with a personal computer adapter card (such as a graphics display
adapter card) having multiple integrated circuits thereon is shown
generally in these figures. These integrated circuits may include, but
are not limited to, voltage regulators, switches, memory components,
ASICs, LEDs, DSPs, and processing components, such as general purpose
processors or dedicated graphics processing units. The thermal interposer
assembly 200 consists of an upper planar segment 202 and a lower planar
segment 204 which are stacked together such that surface 202a of upper
planar segment 202 is proximate and facing surface 204a of lower planar
segment. In some embodiments of thermal interposer assembly 200, surface
202a of upper planar segment 202 may be in contact with surface 204a of
lower planar segment 204, while in other embodiments, there may be a gap
between surfaces 202a and 204a. The upper and lower planar segments 202
and 204 may be unitary components, formed from a thermally conductive
material (such as, for example, aluminum, copper, graphite, etc.) by any
means (such as die-casting, machining, etc.) known in the art. In an
exemplary embodiment, the upper and lower planar segments 202, 204 may
include die-cast aluminum components. These components may be configured
for attachment to a personal computer adapter card. The lower planar
segment 204 of the planar body may be disposed with one side 206
generally in thermal contact with one or more heat sources (such as, for
example, processors) on the adapter card. To ensure adequate thermal
contact between the heat source and side 206 of the lower planar segment
206, a high conductivity material (such as, for example, thermal grease,
thermal paste, thermal gap pads, etc.) may be positioned between these
surfaces.

[0024]In some embodiments, thermal interposer assembly 200 may include one
or more heat pipes 208. These heat pipes 208 may be seated within
recesses 210 on faces 202a, 204a of upper planar segment 202 and lower
planar segment 204. These heat pipes 208 may be configured to transfer
the heat absorbed by the planar body away from the heat sources towards a
thermal discharge region 212 of the thermal interposer assembly 200. The
thermal discharge region 212 may be region of the thermal interposer
assembly 200 which forms a receiving space or socket for the modular cold
plate assembly 100. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize
that the specific configuration of the heat pipes 208 within the planar
body may be varied, depending upon the particular thermal transfer needs
of each application. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the heat pipes may
be disposed in a generally parallel configuration, terminating in, or
passing through the thermal discharge region 212. However, in other
embodiments, the heat pipes 208 may be eliminated or arranged in a
different configuration. In some embodiments of the thermal interposer
assembly 200 without the heat pipes 208, the recesses of the thermal
interposer assembly may also be eliminated.

[0025]The thermal discharge region 212 may be a recessed region in one or
both upper and lower planar segments 202, 204. This recessed region may
function as a receiving slot or socket for the modular cold plate
assembly 100. In some embodiments, the thermal discharge region 212 may
be disposed in proximity to the heat source having the greatest thermal
output, such as a CPU or GPU. As described above, the cold plate assembly
100 is coupled to a liquid coolant circulation system via inlet and
outlet portions 104IN and 104OUT. As the liquid coolant
circulates through the cold plate assembly 100, thermal energy is drawn
from the various heat sources in the computer adapted card through the
thermal interposer assembly 200 and is transported via the liquid coolant
flow for discharge remotely from the thermal interposer assembly 200 and
associated heat sources.

[0026]Generally, as shown in FIG. 3, the dimensions of the thermal
interposer assembly 200 may be selected based upon the configuration of
the computer adapter card 10a, 10b which requires cooling. The dimensions
of the thermal interposer component may be further selected to enable the
combined assembly of the computer adapter card 10a, 10b, the thermal
interposer assembly 200, and the cold plate assembly 100 to fit within
the available space for the adapter card. In some embodiment, a length
and a width of the thermal interposer assembly may be substantially the
same as the length and width of the adapter card. The available space, in
general, may be dictated by the attributes of the computer system. For
instance, for an embodiment in which the thermal interposer assembly 200
is used to cool a computer adapter card plugged in an expansion slot of
the computer, the thickness of the thermal interposer assembly 200 may be
dictated by the physical space available between adjacent adapter cards.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the thermal
interposer assembly 200 may have any of a variety of different
configurations based upon the particular physical space limitations
associated with the electronic components being cooled, and upon the
arrangement of heat sources in thermal proximity to the surfaces of the
thermal interposer. For example, while the embodiment shown in FIG. 3
illustrates a thermal interposer assembly 200 having a pair of planar
bodies 202 and 204 disposed in a sandwiched configuration between a pair
of circuit boards 10a and 10b, the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 illustrates
an alternate configuration of the thermal interposer having only a single
planar body 202 disposed adjacent a single circuit board 10, sized to fit
within a double-slot PC card configuration.

[0027]The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 illustrates an optional arrangement
wherein only a single lower planar body 202 is utilized adjacent a single
circuit board 10 and associated heat sources, without an upper planar
body 204. The heat pipe 208 is routed through a serpentine path to
facilitate transfer of thermal energy from the lower planar body 202 to
the thermal transfer region 212, defined by a recessed seat or socket for
receiving a modular cold plate assembly 100. It should be noted that a
recess is not a requirement, and in some embodiments, the cold plate
assembly may be removably attached to a thermal interposer assembly
component (such as, for example, lower planar body 202 of FIG. 4) by
another method. For example, the cold plate assembly 100 may be attached
using screws or other fastening mechanisms.

[0028]The use of the thermal interposer assembly 200 of the present
disclosure provides several advantages for the cooling and temperature
management of personal computer adapter cards, circuit boards, or other
electronic components. By removably coupling the modular cold plate
assembly 100 to a thermal interposer assembly 200 which, in turn, is in
thermal contact with the various heat sources on an adapter card 10 or
circuit board, the design of the liquid cooling system (not shown) may be
standardized and simplified. By facilitating a common cold plate assembly
100 to be used with different thermal interposer assemblies 200,
modifying the cooling system is made easier. For example, in order to use
a cold plate assembly 100 that was used to cool a first computer adapter
card to cool a second computer adapter card (having a different
configuration), only the thermal interposer assembly 200 (or one or more
of the planar bodies of the assembly) needs be modified. This in turn,
reduces development and production cycles, as well as production costs.
Replacement or addition of adapter cards 10, to a system does not require
breech or modification of the liquid coolant circulation pathways.
Modular cold plate assembly 100 provides a standardized component which
may be disconnected from a thermal interposer assembly 200 and
re-installed in a different thermal interposer assembly without removal
from the liquid coolant system or breach of the liquid coolant pathways,
thereby reducing the risk of coolant loss, leaks, or the introduction of
air into the system.

[0029]An exemplary embodiment of a liquid cooling system of a computer
system will now be described to illustrate a method of using the thermal
interposer assembly of the current disclosure. FIG. 5 shows a liquid
cooling system 400 of a computer system. The cooling system may include
cooling modules 410 and 420 that are adapted to cool heat-generating
electronic components (such as, for example, CPUs) mounted on the mother
board 320 of the computer. These cooling modules 410 and 420 may, without
limitation, be any liquid cooling solution that is configured to cool the
respective electronic components. Cooling system 400 may also include two
thermal interposer assemblies 200a and 200b that are coupled to adapter
cards 10c and 10d, respectively, which are plugged into the mother board.
These thermal interposer assemblies 200a and 200b may have the same
configuration (and the same elements) as thermal interposer assembly 200
illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C and FIG. 3, described previously. For clarity,
the elements of thermal interposer assemblies 200a and 200b are not
identified in FIG. 5. In the discussion that follows, reference will be
made to the elements of the thermal interposer assembly 200 depicted in
FIGS. 2A-2C and FIG. 3. It should be noted that any thermal interposer
assembly of the current disclosure can be used with liquid cooling system
400.

[0030]Thermal interposer assemblies 200a and 200b may be coupled to
adapter cards 10c and 10d by any means known in the art. Thermal
interposer assembly 200a may be coupled to adapter card 10c such that
side 206 of lower planar segment 204 of the thermal interposer assembly
200a (see FIGS. 2A-2C) is in thermal contact with one or more heat
sources of the adapter card 10c. A thermal conducting medium such as
thermal grease may be placed between the mating surface of side 206 and
the heat source for good thermal contact between these surfaces. The
thermal interposer assemblies 200a and 200b also includes cold plate
assemblies 100a and 100b positioned in the heat transfer regions 212 of
the respective thermal interposer assemblies. These cold plate assemblies
100a and 100b circulate cooling liquid therethrough, as described
previously. In the illustration of FIG. 5, the cooling liquid is shown to
pass through the two cooling modules 410 and 420 and the two thermal
interposer assemblies 200a and 200b in a serial manner. That is, cooling
liquid exiting cooling module 410 enters cooling module 420, and the
cooling liquid exiting cooling module 420 passes through thermal
interposer assembly 200a, and then through thermal interposer assembly
200b, before being directed to the heat exchanger 350. At the heat
exchanger 350, the hot cooling liquid may be cooled by air flowing
therethrough. Under this arrangement, inlet tube 320 that directs the
cooling liquid into thermal interposer assembly 200a (from cooling module
420), may be coupled with inlet port 104IN of cold plate assembly
100a, and outlet port 104OUT of cold plate assembly 100a may be
coupled with outlet tube 310 to circulate, the cooling liquid through
cold plate assembly 100a (as described previously with respect to FIG.
3). However, as people of ordinary skill in the art know, this
arrangement of the liquid cooling system 400 is not a limitation and the
liquid cooling system may be arranged in any manner without limitation.
In a typical application, the cooling system 400 may be arranged such
that hotter components are cooled first with the cooler liquid coming
from the heat exchanger 350.

[0031]If it is desired to upgrade the computer by replacing adapter card
10a with another adapter card that includes additional heat-generating
electronic components that need cooling (or by adding a new adapter
card), the cooling system of the computer may be quickly and efficiently
modified to cool the upgraded adapter card. This may be accomplished by
replacing the thermal interposer assembly 200 (or the planar bodies 202,
204 of the thermal interposer assembly 200) with another thermal
interposer assembly that is configured to cool the heat-generating
components of the upgraded adapter card. The card assembly including the
thermal interposer assembly 200 and cold plate component 100 may be
configured to fit within a selected spatial volume corresponding to a
single-slot adapter card or a double-slot adapter card of the computer.
With a thermal interposer assembly 200 in thermal contact with one or
more heat sources, efficient cooling of multiple circuits on the adapter
card 10 or circuit board is achieved with a common cooling system,
eliminating the need for separate or individual cooling systems
associated with each adapter card or circuit board. Heat drawn from the
heat sources is retained within the planar bodies 202, 204 of the thermal
interposer assembly 200 for transfer to the liquid coolant circulating
through the modular cold plate assembly 100, reducing heat transfer to
the ambient air surrounding the adapter card and contained within the
computer chassis. Similarly, by transferring heat to the liquid coolant,
the need for air circulating fans in proximity to the adapter card or
circuit board is reduced.

[0032]As various changes could be made in the above construction without
departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all
matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying
drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting
sense. Similarly, the specific planar configuration of the planar body
shown in the drawings will be understood to be exemplary, and may be
modified as required to suit any of a variety of personal computer
adapter card configurations without departing from the scope of the
invention.